


Astoria

by peggy_hamilton



Series: Band Of Brothers Imagines [15]
Category: Band of Brothers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 02:49:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20351149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peggy_hamilton/pseuds/peggy_hamilton
Summary: solace in war never lasts long enough





	Astoria

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on @justthinkingofwaystoavoidbusses
> 
> original request: Requests with Malarkey where the reader and him knew each other in High School but were never really close, but they run into each other during the war where the reader is a nurse and they grow closer because of all they’re going through? Have a great week! Xxx - anon

Man after man came in screaming in pain for his mother while his guts spilled out of his stomach, it was a routine that you were used to now. The pink guts and bloody gurgles barely shocked you anymore, a half blown up leg was a welcome relief compared to what you were having to deal with.

You had decided to become a nurse to help with the war effort. Your parents back in Astoria had pleaded you stay at home, safe, get an education so you could get a nice job until you met a husband to support you. Not if you could help it. You thrived on the anarchy of the med bay which was why they quickly made you head nurse, newer nurses were always coming in and going - not all of them could handle the pressure, but you could.

As the Americans advanced throughout Europe you went with them, you were never too far behind a paratroop infantry. You followed them wherever they went and patched up whoever got taken off the line and sent to you.

They were sending you closer to the front lines, the higher ups needed your skills right where it happened as too many were dying or getting infections on the drive off the lines to the med bay. Basically you were half combat medic, half taxi driver.

Thankfully you wouldn’t be right on the front lines with all the other soldiers, but you were close enough that each time you heard the sound of an explosion you tensed up. Even back at the med bays you could hear the on going sounds of war but it was usually drowned out by the sounds of men in pain and the distance you were from the action. Now you were constantly back and forth between the two, medics would load up an injured soldier and you would do your best to treat his wounds in the back of the truck while you were driven to the med bay then repeat.

You had been following behind the regiment as they entered Nuenen, nobody had suspected much of anything but got ambushed by the Germans and before you knew it buildings were exploding and tanks were rolling down the street. This was the closest you had been to the fight yet and even still you were only on the edge of town, you could see soldiers running right through the centre barely faltering.

The truck the men had been driving on provided enough cover for you to hang back, you were getting antsy. Thus far nobody had been dragged back which was highly unusual, then you saw a small group of soldiers dragging a larger man on the back of a door towards you.

You rushed into action and ran forward to meet them on the edge of town and pull the soldier to one of the trucks. He had been shot in the ass, so it wasn’t anything life threatening, “Load him up on here,” you ordered the small group of soldiers helping them lift the heavy blonde onto the back of the truck.

One of the men looked at you strangely, you spared him a glance and saw that he had bright ginger hair and brown eyes which seemed familiar to you. Quickly your attention was back on the injured man and you were pressing bandages and sulpha over the four holes the bullet had made, when you looked back the other soldiers were gone.

—

Later that night the whole company you had been unofficially assigned to was waiting outside on a bank and lounging on stacks of hay. You were sat off to the side away from the rest of them, the last truck of the night had already left so you were stuck here until morning.

You were aimlessly picking at a loose thread on your sleeve when the glow of the moonlight was blocked, you looked up and saw it was the same ginger man from earlier. “Can I help you?” you squinted at him, trying to see him in the dark.

The man nodded a bit, “Yes, sorry to bother you but you look familiar. Do I know you?” he asked.

You took time to look at him more closely, you did think you had seen him around before but you had no idea where. “I don’t know. Where are you from?” you asked.

“Astoria, Oregon.”

“No way,” your face split into a grin, “So am I.” Suddenly it clicked where you knew him from, “Wait, weren’t you in my maths class? In high school?”

Recognition passed over his face, “Yeah, you were the girl who was always doodling in the back of class right?” he asked, a smile on his face.

You chuckled, “Yep, that was me. I’m Y/N, by the way.”

“Don,” he smiled, you motioned at the grass next to you and he sat down heavily next to you.

“So, Don,” you shifted to look at him, “Why did you choose, out all the US forces, to join the one where you have to jump out of a plane?”

He laughed, “Extra 50 bucks and I wanted to fight with the best,” he shrugged.

“Fair enough,” you nodded.

“What about you?” he asked.

“What about me?” you frowned, confused.

“Why’d you join the nurses? Why not stay at home?” he asked.

Now you shrugged, “I wanted to do my part, home life was kind of boring and depressing.”

Malarkey looked at you incredulously, “Because the front lines are a barrel of laughs?” he asked sarcastically.

You snorted and shoved his shoulder lightly, “You know what I mean. All conversation is back home is ‘oh my husbands at war’ or ‘oh my son, brother, boyfriend, whoever is at war life is so depressing’,” you told him, doing whiny impressions of the people back home. “I mean, I can only take so much of watching my mother stare out the window while she sadly does the dishes waiting for my brother to return from war. I’d rather be here, helping, than there, waiting.”

He nodded, “That makes sense. Do you ever miss home?”

“Do you?”

—

After that it became easier being close to the front lines. Whenever you got a chance you would be with Malarkey, it was an opportunity to unwind and bitch at each other about the war. It seemed your hands were permanently stained red with blood now that wouldn’t come off no matter how much you washed them.

Easy had been taken off the front lines tonight so you finally got a chance to rest, you flopped down on the first stack of hay you found and let out a long sigh. You pulled off the piece of cloth you usually had over your head to keep you hair back, you hair was messed up but it was more relaxing. Explosions could still be heard in the background, just over the hills you could see the fire of a nearby village being burnt to the ground, by now you had learned to tune it out.

You lay back and closed your eyes, still half listening like always for someone to need your help but thankfully it never came, all you could hear was the faint chatter of the company as they settled down to sleep.

The hay next to you dipped and you opened one eye to see none other than Don Malarkey next to you, “How you doing?” you asked.

“Surviving,” he nodded.

“Aren’t we all?” you asked.

Malarkey moved so he was lying down next to you and looking up at the stars, “I swear it’s getting harder to keep doing this,” he sighed.

“I know how you feel,” you gave him a sympathetic smile.

He shook his head, “Nah, you save lives, I take them.”

You rolled onto your side to face him, “It’s what you have to do, it’s not like it’s in cold blood it’s just following orders. And there a times when even I can’t save a soldier’s life, even when I did my best to save them.”

He also rolled to his side so he could face you, “How are we supposed to deal with it?”

You shrugged, “Don’t focus on it, don’t think about it until after the war when it’s not life threatening to have a mental break down.”

“Easier said than done.”

“True,” you snorted.

Malarkey licked his lips, “You never answered my question - do you ever miss home?”

You bit your lip and nodded slightly, “Of course, war is hell and I’d rather be at home. That being said, I don’t want to go home if the war was still going on, I’d feel like I was cheating or something. I wish the war would end, then everyone could go home. Y’know?”

Malarkey nodded, “I know exactly what you mean.”

You smiled, “Good. When I told the other nurses that they looked at me like I had grown two heads,” you grinned and he laughed.

—

You got the news that morning, your services were needed elsewhere in Europe and they were sending you along with some of the other nurses away from the 506th. It was your last day with Easy company and you were thankful it was a pretty mellow day, it wasn’t hard to find Malarkey. If anything it was he who sought you out, “Hey what’s up?” he greeted with a wide smile when he saw you.

“I’m being re-stationed,” you told him and his smile dropped.

“What? Where?”

“Confidential, somewhere in Europe I don’t know yet. The truck will be here soon to pick me up.”

“Oh,” you could hear the sadness in his voice, “Maybe I’ll see you in some other battle,” he said hopefully.

You nodded, “Yeah, maybe,” both of you knew this was unlikely. “BE careful, okay? Don’t do anything stupid,” you warned.

“I already volunteered to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, I think we’re a little past stupid,” he tried to joke. “Listen, even if I don’t see you out here again we should meet up back in Astoria. Okay?”

You nodded and smiled, “Absolutely. It’s a date,” you grinned and he smiled wide.

A truck pulled up next to you and you gulped softly, “This is me,” you whispered as you looked helplessly around at the truck, Don, and the soldiers passing through the street each with their own problems.

“Goodbye.”

“Bye,” he leaned forward and kissed your cheek close to the corner of your mouth, you both knew there were too many soldiers around to close that final distance between the two of you. An impatient sigh from the driver had you hopping up onto the back of the truck and almost instantly drove off, you looked out the back of the truck and waved slightly at Malarkey as you quickly drove down the road. He waved back and watched you go with a sad look, but there was no time to dwell on feelings. There was still a war to fight and if he was lucky, both of you would make it out alive to see each other in Astoria once more.


End file.
